


To become a Lady

by GenieInaBottlexx



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Betty Cooper Needs a Hug, Earl Jughead, Eventual Smut, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:29:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26274127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GenieInaBottlexx/pseuds/GenieInaBottlexx
Summary: Elizabeth Cooper came from non-nobility. The daughter of owners of the local printing press, with a fondness for reading, did not have marriage with an Earl on her cards. But a proposal from the Jones family changed that overnight and she found herself being thrust into a life of nobility and high status, unaware that her new husband may turn out to be the love of her life.
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 50
Kudos: 98





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so the facts in the story are not accurate. Facts such as ranks and terms of address, so please bear with it. I wanted to set the story during the Victorian Era, so this is a poor attempt at that and kindly excuse my inaccuracies. I tried to research, but there are very high chances of my facts being very wrong.   
> This story had been at the back of my mind for a while and while I have other pending ones, I couldn't help but write it anyway. It won't be very long, just 3-4 chapters, so I hope you give it a read and like it :) Comments are very much appreciated!

Sitting beside Josie Mccoy at one of the many tables placed in the beautifully decorated grand hall of the Lodge manor, Betty glanced at the couple standing at a little distance from her, chatting with an elderly gentleman. They smiled as they spoke to the tall, grey haired gentleman, glowing and beaming as they took in the congratulations that the man must’ve given to them, before the brunette caught her eye and sent her a wink. She gave her a smile in return, genuinely delighted to see her friends so happy in their union and tried to bite down the little bit of despair she had felt throughout the day.

Archiebald Andrews and Veronica Lodge had gotten married that day. Viscount Archibald Andrews, heir apparent to his father, Viscount Frederick Andrews, and Veronica Lodge, now Viscountess Andrews. Archie and Ronnie. Her two best friends. One was the woman she had befriended since adolescence and who had become a sister to her over the years and the other was the man she had harbored love for since she had been a little girl, the boy she had grown up with.

It wasn’t that she longed for Archie anymore. No, that hadn’t been it. She'd given up on that dream long back, having seen the way the red head looked at the other girl, like she meant the world to him. His eyes soft and dreamy, just the way her own had been.

It was perhaps the feeling of being left behind, the feeling of uncertainty for her future, and the finality of her childhood love finally slipping away from her fingers, that made her gut clench even as she managed to smile throughout the ceremony and during the entirety of the evening reception. It was a feeling she didn’t want to care for, and didn’t know what to do about and it made her feel even more helpless and lost than ever.

She stayed put as the evening dragged on, eating very little and drinking just a little bit of honey wine as Josie went on about the Baron that had been courting her for the past few weeks, nodding and smiling at her whenever appropriate, playing the part of the ever perfect friend and confidant. The bride and the groom interacted with several guests, their beaming smiles intact and it seemed as if nothing could ever change the happiness they felt at that moment. Betty prayed that nothing ever did take it away, even as she longed to find such happiness for herself.

By nightfall, the newly wedded couple had departed for their honeymoon and she stayed back, making polite conversation with guests here and there for about an hour, before on indication from her Chaperone, Mrs. DuPont, that it was getting late, she decided it was time to return home.

Standing on the steps outside the manor alongside the elderly woman who had served their family for many years, she waited for the carriage her mother had hired for the evening. Alice Cooper had not been able to attend Veronica’s wedding, citing reasons of a flu. But the reality had been that her mother had been stewing in worry and a bit of jealousy at the fortune of her daughter’s friend, and the lack of the same in her own offspring’s life.

The carriage pulled up before her within moments, two beautiful white horses drawing it forward and she stepped into it, making herself comfortable on its soft velvety seats, as Mrs. DuPont climbed in after her. As the carriage began to move, she looked outside the curtained windows and watched the scenery pass by her, as they pulled away from the bustling manor and onto the now mostly empty streets of the town, street lights dotting her vision every now and then.

Her thoughts went back to her mother, dread filling her as she imagined how her life would be from that night onward. She was certain that her mother would pull all the strings that could be pulled, to ensure that she was married off into a well-to-do family, and as soon as possible. The thought of an unmarried daughter who had come of age, sitting at home had begun to worry her and she had become more strict with Betty, making sure she looked presentable at all the times she was to be seen in public, pinching her cheeks and making her bite her lips to make them look more pink than they actually were. Her diet had become restricted and her corsets tighter as her waist was made to appear tinier than ever.

It made her miserable, but that was the way her life had always been and there was no getting out of it. They didn’t belong to any noble class. Her father owned the local printing press and was a man of decent wealth, nowhere near the same vast wealth as that of the Lodges or as any other noble family, but enough to keep their heads high in the society and live a moderately comfortable lifestyle that allowed for a few helps at home and a few silk gowns and pieces of jewelry for the women in the family to wear on special occasions. But her father was a shrewd man and had managed to weasel into the lives of a few higher class families, one of them being the Andrews. Harold Cooper had somehow befriended Viscount Frederick Andrews and gotten himself frequent invitations at their home. That was what had resulted in her childhood friendship with the red headed son of the Viscount. Lord Frederick had grown fond of her the first time she had visited their home as a child and she had been told to come over as frequently as possible. An opportunity that her father had grasped with both hands.

And even though he never put pressure on her like her mother, or voiced out his wishes so openly, Betty knew that her father had long hoped for an alliance between the Coopers and the Andrews. Getting married to a Viscount’s heir Apparent, would raise their social status by leaps and bounds. It was something her parents had always dreamt of and had been greatly disappointed when their elder daughter Polly, had married the son of the Maple syrup maker, Jason Blossom. They’d pinned their hopes on their younger daughter then, and alas, she too had disappointed them.

But she was certain that her mother would try her best to find her a respectable alliance as soon as possible and she hoped that in her blind want for status, her mother wouldn’t marry her off to some old lord in need of a young wife. She shuddered in horror at the very thought and noticed that they had arrived at the humble Cooper abode.

She got up from her seat and climbed down the carriage steps before straightening the creases on her gown and walking towards the entrance along with Mrs. DuPont, blissfully unaware of what had transpired in her absence and how it would change her entire life.

As soon as Betty stepped into the foyer, she heard her mother call out for her and before she could reply, the woman emerged from wherever she had been and rushed towards her with her arms outstretched and a teary smile on her face.

“Oh! Elizabeth!” she was immediately engulfed in an embrace as her mother held her head between her hands and planted a kiss on her face, her smile wobbly and eyes proud. Betty didn’t know what to make of this sudden outburst and as she opened her mouth to inquire, her mother cut her off.

“You won’t believe the fortune that has befallen you, my child. Come, your father is waiting in the sitting room to break the wonderful news to you.” And with that, her hand was grasped and she was being hurried into the sitting room where her father was sitting, with the same expression adorning his face. Her mother gently pushed her to sit on the sofa and taking both her hands between hers, indicated with her head to listen to what her father was going to say. Betty gulped nervously and focused on him, not prepared for whatever was causing such reactions from her parents.

Hal took a deep breath and smiled at his daughter, indicating yet again, that whatever he was going to say, was good news for her.

“Elizabeth, we cannot tell you how ecstatic we are at what transpired while you were away. You, my child, have been blessed by the gods to have something like this happen to you.” He paused then, building up the atmosphere of suspense and her stomach tightened.

“Sweetheart, while you were gone, a few guests dropped by. A young man, his father and his sister. They were here to propose a marriage between the young man and you. Can you guess who that was?”

Betty’s mouth went dry at what her father had just said and her mind went numb as she shook her head. _This couldn’t be happening. Not so soon._

“That was the Joneses, Elizabeth! Earl Jones and his family were here for an alliance between you and his first born, Forsythe. Can you believe that dear?” She looked at he father numbly and managed a slight shake of her head again. She really could not believe this. But no one seemed to have taken her shock into account and her mother continued from her side.

“We said yes, dear. Of course we said yes! You getting married to a noble, an Earl that too, is every dream of ours come true.You’ll be a countess and you’ll be addressed as a Lady. You will get to rule over their huge manor and you’ll never want for anything.” _Nothing, other than a husband she loved._

And then her mother broke into tears. Tears of happiness, as she hugged her tight and blabbered about all that Betty would have with her future husband, her father coming over and stroking her hair in affection. She took everything in and gave them a trembling smile in return and they took it as a sign of nervous happiness of the bride-to-be.

It seemed like hours passed, as she sat on the sofa and listened to her mother and father gush about the many qualities and fortunes of Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Third, the heir apparent to his father, Earl Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Second. She had turned a deaf ear to everything, her mind refusing to process any information and she didn’t realize how much time had passed when her mother commented about how she must’ve been tired and needed to rest for the next day, and sent her to her room.

Mrs. DuPont accompanied her and helped her out of her heavy gown and corset and removed the pins she had put in her hair to hold it up in an elegant bun. The motherly woman then helped her into her night dress after she had washed her face and hands and legs, before taking her brush and combing through her blonde locks as she sat on the bed quietly. It seemed liked the older woman had sensed her distress more than her own parents as she gently ran the bristles through her hair.

“Elizabeth, dear, they want whatever is best for you. Always remember that. And this is perhaps the best thing that could’ve happened, you’ll see in due time. Do not worry”

And she wanted to believe her. She wanted to believe that her life would be good and that her parents cared for her happiness. So she smiled at the woman and waited for her to be done.

It was only after Mrs. DuPont had left the room and left her alone, that the tears she had held in for so long, made their way down her cheeks. She flung herself on her pillow and buried her face into its softness as she let the sobs wrack her body. Her life had suddenly been turned upside down and she felt completely blindsided. She had always known that she would be married off some day and probably soon, but hadn’t imagined that it would be so soon.

While being married to a future Earl was something no one in her household had foreseen and it was considered to be immensely fortunate that such a proposal had come her way even without any attempts to attract it on her part, she didn’t feel all that happy. Whatever life she had known as a maiden, would soon change and marital obligations would become a part of her life. And despite the strictness her mother had brought her up with, the tiny bit of freedom she had known would be taken away from her. Ladies of noble families often had more responsibilities and appearances to keep up than the rest and she wasn’t prepared to make such changes out of the blue.

After a while of crying into her pillow, she felt her eyes get heavy as sleep began to take over her senses and despite her misery, a tiny thought bloomed at the back of her head. The image of a boy, black haired and blue eyed, a small smile on his face as he handed her a book he had snuck from his house, whispering to her to keep it a secret from Archie before the red head bounded towards them. _Forsythe. Jughead._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty tries to accept her fate and prepares to meet the man she's going to marry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They don't meet in this chapter and I'm sorry for that. There supposed to though, and I stretched it a little too much. But the next chapter will be better.

Betty awoke from her slumber early the next morning. So early that it was still dark outside and the entire household was quiet, everyone still asleep. Her eyes felt puffy and she looked up through the narrow slits at the ceiling above her, unable to fall back asleep and trying to keep her mind empty for as long as she could.

However, it was within minutes that everything that had happened the previous night came rushing back to her. Having gotten a few hours of sleep to get by, she felt her head clearing up as she tried to accept that it was what it was now and to make herself believe that things could be much worse. At least she wasn’t been married off to some old greybeard who would probably only want her for her young body and nothing else. At least her husband was young and if what she’d heard through the rumor mills was right, then quite handsome. It saddened her that her life had come down to judging her to-be husband by his age and looks, doing exactly what the society expected from a woman. But she was trying to think of whatever positives she could think of so she didn’t feel so hopeless.

It also helped that Forsythe Jones happened to be friends with Archie and therefore she’d be able to see her friends frequently. Something she had been afraid of being denied if her husband had happened to be some unfriendly, lonesome person who wanted to keep her caged in his house. No, Forsythe wouldn’t be like that. She could only hope.

As she continued lying on her bed and closed her eyes, vignettes from her childhood began to play before them. And in them, she saw him, remembering thing from the past. She’d met him for the first time during one of her visits to the Andrews manor at the age of four. The boy, in pristine clothes and beautiful silky black hair that fell in curls over his forehead had introduced himself with such politeness and grace and she had immediately taken a liking to him. They had called him Jughead back then, with him insisting that they call him that as he shared his name with his father and wished to have a separate identity. She wondered if he still went by that name when he was with friends and family and did not require the usage of his birth name.

He had been different from Archie. Unlike the red head who was always high on energy and clumsily breaking expensive items in his house and not paying heed to what his governess said about proper behavior, Forsythe was polite, relatively quiet and naturally witty. The three of them had run around the estate owned by the Andrews and both boys had often begrudgingly participated in the tea parties Betty wished to have, sipping on the earl gray tea in their small tea cups and indulging her. It was one of the things everyone would frown upon. Two boys attending tea parties with a girl. But Lord Andrews and Lord Jones were known to not care much about conventions and let the children do whatever they wanted to within the confines of their estates. As they grew older, she and Jughead had shared the interest of reading and after finding out about how her mother discouraged the habit saying, “Girls have no business reading and writing, Elizabeth. It distracts them from their domestic duties and I will not have any daughter of mine disappoint this household in such a way”, he had brought her books from his own home. Books that she would sneak the books under the folds of her skirts and into her bedroom, hiding them under one of the loose floorboards and reading them in the dead of the night with the help of a candle.

The three of them had been good friends back then. Something her parents had mixed feelings about. On one hand, they deemed it inappropriate for a girl to be so close to two boys, afraid that as they grew older, rumors about the ill character of their daughter would start to float around. But the fondness the Lords held for their younger daughter, treating her like one of their own, had brought some relief to the Coopers who hoped that maybe their friendship would result in a marriage alliance with one of the Lord’s children.

But all that had changed as soon as they hit adolescence. Jughead had begun to distance himself from them from then onwards. Well, at least from her. He had remained friends with Archie. As they grew older, she began to see less and less of him, only catching glimpses of him leaving the manor just as she arrived, smiling at her politely before rushing off to wherever he had to go. And it had hurt initially, confusing Betty as to why the boy wouldn’t see her anymore. He seemed to meet Archie every once in a while.

But then, Veronica Lodge had come to their county, taking up residence in both the place and their hearts. The girl had become friends with both Betty and Archie rather quickly, forming a new trio. In the years that followed, Betty had been swamped with the several lessons her mother made her attend to ensure that she had all the qualities of a perfect woman. Lessons in embroidery, painting, cooking and housekeeping had taken up most of her time and the remainder had been spent navigating feelings and heartbreak that came as part and parcel of adolescent ages. She had grown to love Archie and watched him love their friend and cried on top of her pillow on several nights, wishing that it could have been her. In all those years, with all the turmoil of growing up, Jughead had gradually faded away in the background. She had heard that he had been sent abroad to pursue his studies and that had been it. It was only a few months back that she had heard of his return and then out of the blue this proposal had greeted her.

As she opened her eyes and stared at the high ceiling above her, she realized with a pang that it was their past that made her so anxious, despite knowing that Jughead was probably as good a match as she could get. The boy had actively avoided her company and disappeared from her life, almost as if he had never known her, never been her friend. She could only believe that he disliked her and hadn’t been able to tolerate her presence. So why did he want to marry her now? She knew he wouldn’t mistreat her and she wondered just how much he had changed. She feared for the kind of relationship they would share and could only hope that it wouldn’t be so bad.

Betty had been so engrossed in her thoughts, that she hadn’t see the sun rise and the skies brighten outside, only coming out of her reverie where there was a knock on her door. Quickly getting up and straightening her night dress, she called for whoever was on the other side, to enter.

Mrs. DuPont came inside along with another house help named Alyssa, with a tray holding a jar of cream, a cup filled with some herbs and another cup filled with some dental powder.

“Elizabeth, dear, freshen up. I’ll prepare the bath and then you are to soak your body and face with this lavender and basil infused water. Now that you are to be wed, we have to make sure that your skin is in the best condition possible.” The woman said as she handed her the cup of dental powder. Betty winced at the instructions, feeling like some prized horse that was soon to put on display, and proceeded to do as she was told.

An hour later, she had taken a bath and then soaked herself in the herbs, which were quite relaxing and after Mrs. DuPont had brushed her hair and laced up her corset, she had put on the beautiful pastel green gown with lace overlay that had been laid out for her.

The two women walked down the stairs and into the dining room, where breakfast was laid out. Her mother and father were seated and she watched as her mother buttered a toast for her father and handed it over to him. She wondered if she would have to do the same for her husband and walked towards the table to take a seat.

Her parents instantly perked up as they saw her, wide smiles on their faces. “Oh, Betty, good morning, dear. It’s a big day today for you. Isn’t it?” her mother chirped at her. She smiled at her awkwardly and nodded slightly, looking down at the bowl of porridge and fruits laid out before her. The portion was smaller than what she ate regularly and she knew this was again to make sure she was “in the best condition possible” and that meant having a tiny waist. She decided this facade wasn’t going to continue for long and after she was married, she would eat all she wanted. Slim frame be damned.

After breakfast, her mother informed her that they were to go to the main market and shop for a few things in preparation of the wedding. Things were going to move fast as there was no reason to delay the wedding and put it off for later. Since both parties were in agreement to the wedding, months of courtship were deemed unnecessary and they would be wed within a month’s time. And after coming back from the market, Betty was to finally meet her husband-to-be for evening tea.

Betty felt her throat tighten at the thought. She wasn’t ready to meet this person who was going to uproot her from life as she had known it, so soon. But before she could think much about that, her mother was dragging her out of the house along with Mrs. DuPont.

They stopped by the seamstress’s first, getting her fitted for several corsets ,gowns, underclothes, and her wedding gown, all beautiful and elegant and if these were normal circumstances, Betty would have danced with joy, excited at the thought of new clothes. But as she stood before the seamstress who took her measurements from all angles, she tried to blink back her tears. She didn’t want any gowns if she could go back to the way her life had been just a few months ago. She didn’t want pretty clothes. But who was going to listen to her.

After the fitting, the women went to the jewelers’ and Betty noticed that it was one of the finest jewelry shop around and it saddened her that her parents were pulling all stops to send her away with whatever finery and pomp they could afford and decided for their sake, to appear a little happy with her situation.

They bought a few earrings and necklaces of garnet, opals and emeralds and looking into the mirror at the shop, Betty had to admit that they looked beautiful on her as she turned her head this way and that, pleased to see her reflection and the way the jewelry brought out the colour of her eyes.

The party of three returned home a little after 2 o’clock and after a quick lunch, Betty was whisked away to her room to be primped and primed for her meeting with Forsythe. Her mother had laid out one of the prettier gowns she owned. A pastel pink one with flowers embroidered around the bust, the hemline and on the edges of her sleeve. Her hair was dampened and curled using soft strips of rags that were wrapped around strands of hair. Her mother also insisted that she wear the delicate diamond tear drop earrings that her parents had gifted to her on her 18th birthday and after more than an hour of preparation, as she looked into the mirror, she felt her cheeks pinken at the woman staring back at her. She had always been told that she was pretty, but looking at her reflection, she felt beautiful and for a moment, forgot that this was all for someone else and about the anxiousness she had been feeling all afternoon.

As she sat waiting in her bedroom for her guest to arrive, she felt her stomach tighten at the prospect of seeing him again after all this time and it was a little after the clock struck 4, that Mrs. DuPont appeared at her door to escort her downstairs to the parlor. Her husband-to-be was there.

The women walked down the stairs in silence and she felt her mind go blank, suddenly incapable of any thought and just as they stood outside the door to the parlor, Mrs. DuPont turned to her and pinched her cheeks, coloring them pink instantly and instructed her to bite her lips to redden them, which she obliged. Then, after deeming that she looked good enough, the woman knocked on the door lightly and they stepped into the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it?! let me know in the comments :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> so, this is more like a filler chapter. we don't get any answers here, just betts and jug interacting. Very surface level chatting, but I had to put it in for the story to continue. It also seems abrupt? please bear with me.

Since his return to Riverdale, Betty had heard quite a few things about Forsythe Pendleton Jones the third. First, that he was intelligent, incredibly so. He had pursued his education at one of the most prestigious schools in the nation and had done exceedingly well there, even having worked at the Queen’s office for a while. And she wasn’t surprised at that. He always had been sharp, even when they had been very young.

Second, that he was polite and quite agreeable in nature. Again, Betty remembered him to be the same even as children, always well-mannered and graceful. It was good to know that he hadn’t changed that way.

And third, that he was handsome. The women had talked about his impressive height and broad shoulders and how he would make for a perfect husband for their niece or cousin or daughter and Betty had never paid much mind to it. She hadn’t thought of such an alliance as a possibility for herself and yet, here she was, standing before the very same man for that very purpose.

As she took him in, careful not to ogle at him since it would be very inappropriate, she had to admit that the ladies had been right. He was indeed very handsome. His features were much more refined than they had been at the age of 15. Nose sharper and longer and cheekbones high, but his eyes were still the same pretty blue, his skin smooth and flawless. His hair was pushed back from his forehead, but barely so. The black curls threatening to fall over his forehead and the texture fluffy and soft. Even seated, she could make out just how tall he was, a great change from when she had been a few inches taller than him at the age of 7. Yes, her future husband was indeed very pleasing to look at.

His eyes turned towards her as she stepped into the room behind Mrs. DuPont and the corners of his lips curled upwards in a comely smile. She returned a small smile of her own and ducked her head, suddenly feeling shy.

Alice Cooper got up and ushered her daughter to the sofa, almost showing her off like a prized possession while her father looked on politely. It made Betty feel very awkward. Like an animal in a cage, who was expected to perform some stunt to impress the onlookers.

Just as she took her seat, Forsythe smiled a little more wider and cocked his head to one side. “It’s a pleasure seeing you Ms. Cooper.” He offered with a genuine smile. His voice surprised her. it was smooth and soft, unlike the last time she had heard him speak, when his voice had begun to crack and would come across as harsh or squeaky every once in a while. No, now his voice sounded soothing and Betty found herself liking the sound of it.

“It’s a pleasure to see you too Lord Jones.” _Lord Jones_. It sounded so strange. But she supposed this was how she was supposed to address him till he told her otherwise. His smile widened a bit and she could swear she saw a glint of mischief in his eyes, before his attention was quickly grabbed by her parents, who moved on to make polite conversation and to ask him about his experiences away from Riverdale.

The conversation flowed smoothly, with Forsythe being a rather engaging conversationalist with numerous stories to tell. Her parents were clearly impressed and laughed and praised him whenever it was appropriate and Betty couldn’t help but feel a miniscule sense of pride. Their behavior towards her husband to be was very different than it was with Jason Blossom, whom they had never approved of and therefore only resorted to curt smiles and greetings. No, they seemed genuinely fond of Forsythe.

She herself found herself enraptured by whatever he was saying. Time passed and they drank tea and ate cake and before she knew it, he had asked for permission to talk with her and her mother and father were smiling at her and telling her to go and walk around the backyard to talk with him alone, with Mrs. DuPont acting as a chaperone, of course.

She watched as he turned to smile at her politely and got up before following him out of the house, as Mrs. DuPont trailed farther behind them silently.

It would suffice to say that it was awkward. She had no clue as to what to say to him. She wanted to ask him about his intentions for marrying her. Surely, there had been many other, more worthy women out there, then why her? and why had he suddenly decided to pop back into her life and in this manner? But she knew that for now, those questions had to wait.

The weather outside was pleasant. The sky was a clear blue and mild sunlight trickled through the trees, brightening up the area. Although the Cooper family was nowhere near royalty, they had a decent amount of money and a fairly modest house with a somewhat spacious lawn behind the house where her mother was fond of throwing tea parties every once in a while. Her mother had taken great pains to grow many pretty flowers in it, her pride being the patch of red rose bushes that were in mid-bloom at this time of the year. It was around the edges of this lawn, that they began to walk in slow, lazy strides.

“So, Miss Cooper, I didn’t get to have much of a word with you earlier, but I felt that we should talk first before things proceed.” She heard him speak softly, as they neared the rose bushes. She wondered as to what exactly it was that he wanted to talk about.

“Of course, Lord Jones. What would you like to talk about?” The formality with which they were addressing each other made her feel strange.

He smiled at her nervously and their pace slowed a little more, a frown beginning to form on his face. “Well, for one, I believe that an apology is in order, on my part. I believe my sudden proposal must have caused you a great deal of inconvenience, despite what your mother and father say. Things were a bit hasty last night and our time for courtship has become a mere formality now. I didn’t ask for your permission first and I have no inkling as to whether you even approve or not and just wanted to ask you if you wished to marry me. I should have done this earlier and it will be totally acceptable if you choose to turn me down now. No one from the public knows yet and I will make sure that your parents do not blame you for it.”

Betty was stunned at the sudden and abrupt speech. She would never have thought that this was what the man was going to say to her and it both irritated her and warmed her up a little. It irritated her because he should have asked for her permission earlier, when she actually would have had the power to accept or decline. Now, everything had been decided for her and there was almost no chance for her to back out, regardless of whether or not she wanted to. But it also warmed her heart that even if it was a little late, he had the sense to at least ask her and to offer her a way out. Still, what was done was done. There wasn’t anything that she could do to change things and whether or not he would make for a good husband, was something only time could tell.

“It’s kind of you to offer that, but I think we both know that it’s a little too late for that, unless you’re second guessing your proposal. I will abide by the decision my parents have taken on my behalf and I trust them to have my best interests in their hearts.” She recited the last line like she had done to herself on several nights, whenever her parents had made decisions for her. She had always listed to them and it wasn’t about to change. But she couldn’t keep the bite out of her tone as she responded to him.

The frown on Forsythe’s face deepened and he looked genuinely repentant. “Ms. Cooper, I am extremely apologetic for my behavior. I assure you, my intentions regarding marrying you have not changed one bit. I merely wished to offer you a way out in case you didn’t want to be with me. I’ll go so far as tarnishing my own name if you’re worried about yours being sullied, so don’t worry. It’s not too late.”

She softened up a bit at that. Realizing that he had acted out hastily for some strange reason and wished to correct himself before it was too late. It pleased her that at least he was taking her wishes into consideration. Maybe marrying him wouldn’t be so bad, seeing as many of her peers had been saddled off to men twice or thrice their age to act as mere brood mares. At least she was being offered some sort of a choice and the man in question was probably her best chance at the sort of husband her mother had dreamt of for her.Turning to him, she gave him a warm smile and decided to put his worries to rest.

“Lord Jones, like I said, I will follow my parents wishes and do as they have decided for me. But if my own consent matters to you so much, then yes, I am willing to go forth with this marriage.”

Her words seemed to have put him a little at ease, although she could see that he wasn’t fully convinced. But she was glad that he decided to drop the topic.

“In that case, I assure you that I will not make your regret this decision. You will want for nothing and I will do my best to keep you happy.” His words seemed sincere and she wanted to believe him, so she nodded and they resumed their walk.

After a few moments, as they neared the rose bushes, the faint perfume of the flowers gently wafting towards them, that he broke the silence again. “Umm, Miss Cooper, do you still perhaps read works of literature?”

Betty turned to him, her eyebrows raised in surprise. _He remembered._ Why had she believed that he would have erased all memories of their childhood, she wondered.

“Yes, Lord Forsythe. I still do, occasionally. I believe that won’t be an issue with you?” Many men and women around her seemed to dislike the hobby of reading for women, especially married women, whose sole purpose was to sire children and look after the house. She wouldn’t be able to bear it if such restrictions were put on her, but if the man before her was anything like he had been as a child, then she wouldn’t have to worry about that. But she also knew from experience, that people changed over time and so did their ideas about the world. What if Forsythe had changed too?

But he only chuckled at her turmoil, flashing his pearly white teeth at her. “No, of course not. I had hoped you would have retained your interest in the written word. We have a huge library with books of all kinds, back at the manor. I’m sure you’ll grow to love it.”

Hearing about the library made her beam up at him. So, he hadn’t changed after all. And she could not have been more relieved. It would be nice to be able to sit and read in a library and not have to hide her books in her room and read by the candle light.

The mention of the library opened up a new area of conversation between them and the two began to discuss whatever common books they had read and she was pleased to find out that he had read a good deal of books from her favourite authors and as the two continued to talk, she didn’t realize how an hour went by. It was only when the rays of the sun began to recede and he glanced down at his watch, that she noticed how easily she had been able to forget about time and lose herself in the conversation. They had walked back to the starting point of their walk and her cheeks felt a little flush from the walk.

“I’m afraid, it is time for me to take your leave, Miss Cooper. I have some business to attend to and must get there within an hour’s time. It was absolutely lovely getting to talk to you and I would wish to do so again as soon as possible. I understand that we don’t have a lot of time for courtship, but I would like to make the best of whatever little time we have.”

She looked at him, standing before her, towering actually and bit back the questions she had in mind. They had had a good chat and she didn’t want to ruin things by asking uncomfortable questions. Instead, she tucked a stand of hair behind her ear and told him that she would look forward to seeing him again too. And that part hadn’t been a lie. It had been pleasant, like talking to a friend and she looked forward to doing it again.

As he prepared to walk inside her home to bid farewell to her parents, she watched him lick his bottom lip with a bit of nervousness, before he spoke again.

“I also wanted to say that, you don’t have to address me as a Lord, you know. If it is alright with you, then I do still go by Jughead when I’m in company of my close ones.” and then, with a quick smile, before she could react, he took her hand and placed a soft kiss to it and bowed to her, before walking back inside the house.

Betty stood there stunned, as a blush crept up neck and onto her face, turning her face a bright red. The place where his lips had met her skin, burning hot. She didn’t hear the gasp followed by snickering from Mrs. DuPont, who had witnessed that, as she bit her lip and rushed inside the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all those of you who commented and read the story:D


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Polly comes home and so does Veronica. The girls talk to sweet little Betty.

The month of August passed by in a flurry. Betty’s time was spent shopping for whatever new items her mother deemed fit for her to carry with her to her new home, and packing away her belongings with the help of the house helps. Jughead and her had gotten engaged in an intimate ceremony involving only family members, a few days after his proposal and the man was her fiancé now. The wedding arrangements were being taken care of by her parents and therefore not much of that burden fell upon her shoulders. Her mother took up whatever time was left, in coaching her through the duties of a wife. She was not to embarrass her family when she was married off.

Polly came home two weeks before the wedding and Betty couldn’t have been happier at her sister’s appearance. With Polly, came her twin children, whom Betty absolutely adored and found herself running after the two toddlers or cuddling with them whenever she found time. A fleeting thought passed her mind when she held the children in her arms, that she would probably have a child of her own soon. But as soon as the thought came, she brushed it off. It was too soon to be thinking of those things.

Polly’s arrival also meant that her sister made it her business to help her in having a smooth-sailing married life. It included being taken to shop for some very beautiful corsets in lace, silk and satin, with intricate and detailed designs on them, and some very sheer night gowns that turned Betty’s face beet red. She had insisted on letting the nightgown go, for they were sheer enough for everything underneath to be seen when worn. But Polly had merely laughed it off, gently pinched her cheek and bought them anyway, saying that they would help her in the future. Betty had hoped that the earth could swallow her up at that moment. But the torture had not ended there. That same night, Polly had snuck into her room after putting the children to bed, and in the dim light of the candles, she had whispered all sorts of things into her sister’s ear, most of which were tips on how to please her husband and carry out her _other_ ‘wifely duties’. Betty had stuffed her face into her pillow then and groaned into it, trying to shove her sister aside and occasionally gasping at some of the things she said, until finally after hours of giggling and groaning and blushing, the women had allowed sleep to take over.

Jughead visited her every so often as well, brining her little presents or flowers, taking walks with her in their garden or taking her to balls. Her mother had seen to it that she wore one of her finest gowns and was decked in their most precious jewelry. As she said, ‘this, and the time right after marriage, was the time to show off whatever wealth they had. Make sure that people knew that they were sending off their daughter with as much pomp as possible. On such evenings, Betty noticed the looks of envy cast towards her, the lingering gazes of women on Jughead and she wondered as to just why this man was interested in her. But he was, and he never let his eyes stray from her, his arm around her own and his attention solely focused on her. The sudden attention of a man on her, was an awkward but welcome feeling. Like something she hadn’t felt the need for before, but which felt pleasant all the same.

And Jughead was a thorough gentleman. Polly had replaced Mrs. DuPont as her chaperone for the rest of her visit, and he would pick them up in his comfortable carriage, make sure that they were comfortable, pull out chairs for them and even danced with them, before dropping them off at an appropriate hour. It would suffice to say that Polly was completely besotted with the earl apparent, talking about how charming he was and how lucky Betty was to get to marry him. The woman nearly ate off her ears with the constant praises and at some point Betty had thought of hiding away in the attic for a while, but decided against it since Polly would hunt her down anyway.

It was around one week before the wedding that Veronica Lodge, now Andrews, returned from her honeymoon and decided to pay her a visit. The woman was positively glowing from the vacation and Betty couldn’t have been happier to have her closest friend beside her. The women decided to sit in the back yard after Veroncia gave her a bone crushing hug and handed her a basket of creams and other knick knacks that she had picked up from her honeymoon destination.

As the two sat on the cushioned wicker chairs in the yard and watched one of the house maids named Mary go back inside the house to fetch them tea, Betty sensed that Veronica was keeping her excitement at bay and had a ton of things to say. She was proven right when the minute Mary’s back disappeared from their view, her friend pounced on her.

“Elizabeth Cooper! How in the world did this happen? You and Forsythe?” Veronica all, but shrieked in her ear, giving her a look that told her that she would need a minute by minute account of what had transpired since she had left for her honeymoon. Sighing at her friend’s curiosity but knowing that she had to relent, Betty told her everything in detail, adding in that she had no idea such a proposal would come her way and that nothing had been going on between her and Jughead before that.

Veronica listened to everything patiently, humming and ah-ing every once in a while, and once Betty was finished, she took her friend’s hands in hers and squeezed them tightly.

“I am so glad this is happening, you know. This is going to be so wonderful! I’m just a little surprised since he never mentioned anything to Archie, but not so much I suppose. Just did not expect him to act so quickly.” Veronica hummed, glancing at a bush pensively. But her words had piqued Betty’s interest.

“What do you mean by “so soon.”?”

Veronica looked back at her, her eyebrows raised slightly. “Oh, I mean, since his return, he’s been over at Archie’s manor quite a few times. I was there to plan for the wedding and the last time we crossed paths, he inquired about you. I thought he was interested, but then I got busy and everything completely escaped my mind. Otherwise, you know how meddlesome I can be, especially when it comes to you. I would have gotten everything out of him if my mind wasn’t so occupied with the wedding. But I’m glad he actually did something about it. He’s a good fellow, Betty. One of the nicest ones around.” She smiled and squeezed her hand again and the blonde smiled back. Her mind was now filled with more questions than before and she was thoroughly puzzled.

The two chatted for a while more, sipping on the tea that had been supplied and Veronica told her about her Honeymoon in detail. Being who she was, the brunette refused to leave any detail out and by the time she was done describing everything that had happened, Betty as sitting there with her face as red as a tomato and her eyes as wide as an owl’s.

“D-did you, actually do a-all of that?” she asked her friend, referring to some of the raunchy, and in her fine opinion, scandalous activities that had been described to her.

“Elizabeth, would I be lying to you? Of course we did.” Veronica replied with a smug grin, well aware about how innocent Betty could be and taking pleasure in watching her scandalized expressions.

“ A-and, did he… really? There?” Betty was still unable to believe that Veronica was telling the entire truth. From whatever she had read, mouths were not to go anywhere near, well, there.

Veronica gave a laugh at that, patting her friend’s knee heartily. “Yes, Betty, yes. There. People do that, you know. It’s very pleasurable. You’ll discover just how much when Jughead does it to you.” She winked at the blonde, prepared for the light slap that was delivered to her arm the very next moment.

“Oh my goodness! You’re even worse than Polly. Maybe you should sit and be friends with her. What is it with you married women? Have you no control over your hormones?” Betty huffed as she tried to fan away the heat spreading over her face and neck, ignoring her laughing friend.

The two friends chatted away some more and after Betty showed her the new jewelry and clothing she had purchased, the brunette left for her own home.

It was later, much later, after she had had supper and gone to bed for the night, blowing out the candle and lying down on her bed, that Betty let her mind drift off to the things Polly and Veronica had said to her and wondered if it would be the same with Jughead. Would he be gentle with her? Would he be adventurous and willing to try different things? Would she even like that? Blushing at the thought, she stuffed her face into the pillow and tried to think of things other than her fiancé’s tall figure, broad chest and big hands and what they could possibly do to her, but failed miserably. The last thought as she finally fell asleep, was of his soft looking lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo! I contracted Covid-19 and all my stamina completely drained out and I was mostly sleeping all the time. I wanted to update this sooner but just couldn't and this was meant to be a part of a much longer chapter, but here I am uploading another filler chapter. hehe. sorry.  
> Hope you like this and thank you for leaving such sweet comments!  
> Also, I've been reading star wars fanfics lately and does that fandom have some amazing writers! I read a lot of dark fics and I wanted to write one for Betty and Jughead, but I didn't know if anyone would be interested. If anyone is, do let me know if you have anything particular in mind :)


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